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  Geebo 8:00 am on July 25, 2024 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: blackmail ( 3 ), dating apps, extortion ( 14 ), online dating, police impersonation scam ( 64 ), Scams ( 1,366 )   

  Dating site scam blackmails victims 

  

  By Greg Collier

  Connecting with others has become easier than ever. However, this convenience comes with its own set of risks. Recently, there has been an alarming increase in scams involving imposters pretending to be law enforcement officials. These scammers target unsuspecting victims, often through dating apps, coercing them into parting with their money.

  Recently, in South Carolina, a warning was issued about scammers posing as members of an internet crimes task force or local police. These fraudsters start by luring victims on dating apps, where men believe they are chatting with a woman. Once the conversation progresses, the scam takes a sinister turn. Victims are accused of interacting with a minor and are then approached by scammers posing as a “parent” or “investigator.” They demand money in exchange for dropping the supposed charges. Alarmingly, the scammers have gone as far as using a real investigator’s information to seem more legitimate.

  Legitimate law enforcement officials never request money in exchange for dropping charges. Anyone receiving such calls should report them to local law enforcement agencies.

  A similar scam recently unfolded in Nebraska, where a man lost over $2,000 after befriending a woman on a dating app. After receiving unsolicited photos, he was contacted by someone claiming to work with the police, stating that the girl’s father would not press charges if he paid a sum of money. Trusting the caller, the victim wired the money to an online account.

  These incidents underscore the need for caution in our digital interactions. It is essential to verify the identity of individuals you interact with online, especially if they ask for money. Be wary of unexpected messages or calls, particularly those involving threats or requests for money. Avoid sharing personal or financial information with people you meet online, even if they seem trustworthy. If you receive a suspicious request, contact local authorities directly to verify its legitimacy. Staying informed about common scams and how they operate is your best defense against fraudsters.

   

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  Geebo 8:00 am on July 16, 2024 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Facebook ( 178 ), online dating, romance scam ( 70 ), Scams ( 1,366 )   

  The costly safe in a romance scam 

  

  By Greg Collier

  A 75-year-old widow from Las Vegas has shared her harrowing experience of losing more than a million dollars to a romance scammer.

  The seasoned performer who spent many years singing background vocals for renowned artists and even toured with a legendary band faced a life-altering turn of events after the loss of her husband in 2020. She wasn’t looking for a relationship but posted on Facebook about her husband’s passing and her new status as a widow.

  Soon after, a man who bore a striking resemblance to her late husband started messaging her on Facebook. He wrote to her every day for about four months, despite her initial reservations about the timing. Eventually, he sent a photograph of himself, and an online relationship began around the summer of 2021.

  The scammer’s requests started innocuously, asking for gift cards to load up his phone with pre-paid calls so they could talk. But soon, the demands escalated. He claimed to be sending her a safe and requested $140,000 to transport it from Australia to her house in Nevada. The requests for money continued to grow over the next two years, with messages professing love and a sense of destiny together.

  Ultimately, she lost $758,000, which included her retirement fund, inheritance from her husband, and her house, which was valued at over $600,000. The financial strain led to her power being turned off twice, and she lost weight due to lack of money for food.

  The man in the photos was actually a spiritual teacher based in Germany, who had no connection to the scam.

  Falling victim to a scam, especially one as emotionally manipulative as a romance scam, can happen to anyone. However, there are several measures that can help a potential victim avoid the scam.

  Be cautious about sharing personal information online, as scammers can use it to manipulate and exploit you. Romance scammers often monitor changes in relationship status, so consider sharing major life updates, like becoming a widow, only with close friends rather than making them public.

  Before engaging deeply in any online relationship, especially if financial transactions are involved, use reverse image search tools to verify the person’s identity. Scammers often use stolen photos.

  Discuss the online relationship with trusted friends or family members. They can offer an outside perspective and may notice red flags that the victim might overlook.

  Also, genuine relationships don’t typically involve early or frequent requests for money. Any request for large sums of money, gift cards, or bank account information should be met with extreme caution.

  And as always, if something feels wrong or too good to be true, trust your instincts. It’s better to be cautious and investigate further than to fall victim to a scam.

   
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  Geebo 8:00 am on May 2, 2024 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: online dating, romance scam ( 70 ), Scams ( 1,366 ), subscription fees ( 5 )   

  The latest romance scam targeting online daters 

  

  By Greg Collier

  In the digital age, finding love online has become increasingly common. However, with the rise of online dating comes the unfortunate reality of romance scams. The FBI has recently issued a warning about a new and sophisticated scam targeting users of online dating services. This scam not only preys on the hopes of finding love but also aims to deceive and defraud unsuspecting victims.

  The scam begins innocently enough, with scammers creating fake personas on dating apps. These individuals go to great lengths to establish trust with their victims, engaging in conversations and building rapport. Once a connection is established, the scammers then attempt to move the conversation to an encrypted chat platform, purportedly for safety reasons.

  Under the guise of protecting against online predators, the scammers provide a link to a website offering a “free” verification process. This website appears legitimate but employs scare tactics to persuade users to sign up.

  The verification process is nothing more than a ploy to trick victims into signing up for costly monthly subscription fees on a private, low-quality dating site. These fees are often hidden and may appear on users’ credit card statements without their knowledge. Additionally, the personal information entered during the verification process, including email addresses, phone numbers, and credit card details, is harvested by the scammers for further nefarious purposes.

  The FBI warns that these scams can escalate, with scammers using social engineering tactics to manipulate victims into divulging more information or even clearing out their bank accounts. This tactic is known as the pig butchering scam. This type of fraud can have devastating financial and emotional consequences for victims.

  It’s crucial to verify the legitimacy of any websites or services before providing any sensitive information. Look for red flags such as unsolicited links, requests for payment or personal information, and poor grammar or spelling.

   
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  Geebo 9:00 am on March 8, 2023 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: covid testing ( 4 ), covid-19 ( 48 ), medicare ( 17 ), new medicare card ( 5 ), online dating, police impersonation scam ( 64 ), Scams ( 1,366 )   

  Scam Round Up: Scammers use fallen officer’s name and more 

  

  By Greg Collier

  Our first story in this edition of the Round Up is a reminder to Medicare recipients that Medicare will not reach out to you by phone unsolicited. Scammers often try to obtain a recipient’s Medicare information by posing as Medicare and offering victims a new Medicare card. In the past, scammers have offered new plastic cards to victims. However, Medicare does not use plastic cards. More recently, scammers have said Medicare is sending out new cards to all recipients because of COVID. One of the main tip-offs to this scam is that Medicare doesn’t need your Medicare number, as they already have it. If anyone calls you asking for your Medicare number, there’s a good chance they’re a scammer.

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  Speaking of COVID, even though we’re on the other side of the pandemic, scammers are still using the virus to their advantage. Scammers are still offering at home COVID tests as a way to get either your financial or insurance information. The scammers will offer these supposed tests over the phone while telling their victim they qualify for the free tests under their health insurance. Or, the scammers will ask for payment information for a small shipping fee. In either case, no test is ever sent, and the victim’s information is used for fraud.

  If you need some at home COVID tests, you can still get them for free through the USPS website.

  ***

  Our last story is another example showing there are no depths scammers won’t stoop to. In Tennessee, scammers are using the name of a Sheriff’s Deputy who fell in the line of duty. The scammers are looking for victims on dating apps and threaten them with arrest using the fallen officer’s name. Money is then extorted from the victim.

  While law enforcement does often patrol dating apps looking for potential predators, they will never threaten someone with arrest if they’re not paid.

  If someone calls or contacts you like this, threatening arrest if you don’t pay them, hang up and call your local police. Once you explain to them what happened, they’ll be able to tell you that it’s a scam.

   
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  Geebo 9:00 am on February 2, 2023 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: dating ( 4 ), online dating, romance scam ( 70 ), Scams ( 1,366 ), valentine's day ( 4 )   

  Elderly victim loses almost $100K to romance scam 

  

  By Greg Collier

  With Valentine’s Day approaching, romance scams are on the rise. For new readers, romance scams typically consist of scammers luring their targets into false romantic relationships as a way to steal money. The scammers usually pose as oil rig workers, military members stationed overseas, or international business people. This is done in order to have a built-in excuse as to why the scammer can’t meet their victim face to face. While anybody can fall for a romance scam, elderly women are frequently the targets for this scam. While Valentine’s Day can be a potential flashpoint for romance scams, they can happen at any time.

  For example, an elderly woman from Indianapolis is said to have lost $98,000 to a romance scammer. The victim was using a dating website after losing her husband a few years ago. She met someone on the site who claimed to be 20 years her junior. When asked if the age gap would be a problem, the scammer replied with, “age is just a number.”

  The scammer then convinced the victim to move their conversations away from the dating site and use text messaging instead. The scammer claimed to own a construction company in Montreal, Canada, and asked for money to help support his business. The victim sent five payments that totaled a little over $98,000.

  The supposed construction company owner even sent the victim a picture of a plane ticket that showed an intent to visit the victim. Of course, no one ever showed. Even then, the scammer continued to ask the victim for money, including a $500,000 request to invest in his construction business. When the victim stated they had no more money, the scammer cut off contact with the victim.

  If you ever meet a potential romantic partner online, the first thing you should do is a reverse image search on their picture. Scammers will often steal pictures from someone’s social media who has no idea their picture is being used in a romance scam. If your prospective partner is being cagey about meeting in person, that is usually a good indicator that they’re trying to scam you. Also, if you’re using a dating app or platform, and you’re asked to move the conversation off the platform, that could be a good indication of a scam. Lastly, if they ask for money before meeting, that’s a huge red flag indicating a scam.

  If you know someone who may be a victim in a romance scam, it’s often difficult to convince them that they’re being scammed. It may help if you show them this blog post or any of the articles out there that detail how a romance scam works.

   
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  Geebo 9:00 am on January 22, 2021 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: online dating, Scams ( 1,366 ), unemployment scam ( 30 )   

  Dating site scam leads to death threat 

  

  When it comes to dating sites, the scam we normally have to warn people about is the romance scam. This is where scammers will cultivate a romantic type relationship with their victims before repeatedly asking their victims for money. However, we recently learned about a different type of scam taking place on a dating site that we wouldn’t have guessed. That would be the unemployment scam.

  While we call it the unemployment scam, it can actually take many forms. Essentially, overseas scammers are applying for unemployment benefits in the names of people who have had their identities stolen. One of the problems that unemployment scammers have is trying to get the money from these fraudulent claims sent to them. Too often the payments go to the people whose identities have been stolen.

  An Ohio woman signed up for a dating site where, to put it delicately, the male participants of the dating site are supposed to financially support the women they match up with. These men share a name with a somewhat famous candy bar.

  Anyway, the woman from Ohio matched with a man who claimed to be a businessman from Texas. He asked the woman to open a new bank account in her name, so he could send her money. However, after she opened the new account, there was a payment from the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services pending. The amount was for $489, and she was told that she could keep $100 and send $389 to the supposed Texas businessman.

  The woman was hesitant to accept the money, but the scammer tried telling her that it wasn’t actually an unemployment payment but a payment from his private account. The woman didn’t fall for this. Not only did she refuse the payment, but she closed the account she was asked to open. It didn’t end there, though.

  After she closed the account, the scammers started sending her death threats which she took very seriously. More than likely, these scammers were from overseas which most unemployment scammers are. We doubt they had any real means of carrying out any threat.

  While it’s an unusual one, this is just one of the many dangers that dating sites hold. While we previously mentioned romance scams, there are also numerous predators and even human traffickers that use these sites and apps to find new victims.

   
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  Geebo 9:00 am on February 10, 2020 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: online dating, Scams ( 1,366 ), subscription fees ( 5 )   

  Online dating can be a scam itself 

  

  There has always been a number of pitfalls when it comes to online dating. Not only are romance scams mostly perpetrated through online dating but there’s also the dangers of predators and human trafficking. These problems are especially prevalent on free websites and apps. Due to the low barrier of entry, many of these platforms are rife with scammers, predators, and pick-up artists. So you may assume that a paid dating platform should have fewer of these problems. That may be true, however, depending on the platform it could open you up to a whole host of other problems from the platform itself.

  Many of these platforms rely on high-pressure sales tactics to get users to sign up. They’ll promise a one time only discounted fee to sign up only to lock you into a contract. The same also goes for free trial periods. Once some of these platforms have your payment information, they can continue to charge you once the introductory period has elapsed. These platforms will also make it incredibly difficult to cancel your membership. Some have even been known to continue billing users even after the membership has been canceled.

  If you’re inclined to register for one of these platforms, the Better Business Bureau recommends knowing what the cancellation policy is before signing up. That way if you’re not satisfied with the service you know your options when it comes to canceling your membership. The BB also recommends not falling for the slick advertising that some of these platforms release and to be wary of phrases such as “an exclusive network of people” or “for sincere daters only.” If a platform becomes particularly difficult to cancel, you can always contact your debit or credit card company and have the card on file canceled. That will require you to wait a few days to receive a new card but it’s a guaranteed way to stop any unwanted subscription charges.